Review: The Equalizer 2

Review: The Equalizer 2
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Cast: Denzel Washington, Melissa Leo, Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders, Bill Pullman, Sakina Jaffrey, Jonathan Scarfe and Orson Bean
Music: Harry Gregson-Williams
Cinematography: Oliver Wood

Denzel Washington, who went about helping desperate strangers get justice in his own unassuming way in The Equalizer, is back with a vengeance in its sequel The Equalizer 2.

This time, the soft-spoken, hard-hitting Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) reaches out to help, not only strangers but also the spouse of a dear friend.

Yes, Susan Plummer (Melissa Leo), the only friend that he has and whom he turns to for help, is murdered and that too by those she considered family. Unsure what to do next, her husband turns to McCall, who puts all his training to use to track down the killers, only to realise that they are a bunch of highly skilled killers, who are associated with the very same agency that Susan and he were associated with.

The fact that he is outnumbered four is to one does not deter McCall from openly declaring war against these assassins, who then, are bent upon proving to him that his decision to take them on was a bad one…

Denzel Washington does a brilliant job of playing McCall. He is cool, confident, and composed, carefully observing everybody and everything around him, but stepping in to help only when he is certain that help is required. There couldn’t have been another star who could have played this role better and Washington just relishes the opportunity.

Interestingly, this is the first time that Denzel Washington has starred in a sequel to one of his films! That tells how much faith the actor has reposed in his director Antoine Fuqua, with whom he has worked a total of four times.

The two have, prior to working on The Equalizer2 , worked on Training Day (2001), The Equalizer (2014) and The Magnificent Seven (2016).

The film is a little slow moving initially but gathers pace as the story evolves. The film also features Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders, Bill Pullman, Sakina Jaffrey, Jonathan Scarfe and Orson Bean among others.

Music by Harry Gregson-Williams is just about okay but Oliver Wood’s cinematography is brilliant. Especially, the manner in which the climax has been shot deserves special mention. Some brilliant shots and exceptional lighting make the climax stand out. On the whole, this will be yet another treat for Denzel Washington fans.